what a week

is it really only Thursday?
what a crazy 72 hours.

my week started like any other:
work on Sunday evening.
work on Monday.
As I was walking out to my car Monday evening,
I received a call from my mom.

dad was in a wreck. rolled his pick-up.

one thing I've learned when it comes to my dad is:
accidents happen and I shouldn't overreact.

however, once he was at the hospital,
they discovered he had broken
a vertebrae (L4) in his back and was being flown to Denver.

it was scary. very.
broken back.
surgery.
flight to Denver.
whoa.

but the more I learned about the events of the wreck
and watched as things unfolded,
my tears of fear became
tears of gratitude.

my dad rolled his pick-up.
without a seatbelt on,
and only broke 1 vertebrae.
no cuts. not one bruise.

he was partially ejected from the vehicle.
into the snow.
on a night with subzero temperatures.
in the country.
and he was found within 30 minutes.
and he had coveralls on.

he had to be flown from colby to denver.
my brother lives in colby.
I live in denver.
the hospital was literally 10 blocks from my house.
if ever being in the hospital could be described as "convenient,"
this was it.

they thought he would require surgery.
but they discovered the break was "minimal"
and have remained "very, very optimistic"
that it will heal with time in a brace and limited movement.

I feel like I could list so many things to be thankful for in the whole ordeal.
my work has been incredibly supportive.
I have been reminded of how many people do care about my dad, my family, and me.
I have gotten to spend 3 days with my mom and dad,
helping out, talking, playing cards, and praying.

granted, i would like to spend time with them under different circumstances,
but this time with them has been sweet,
in its own way.

Do I wish this wouldn't have happened? sure.
Do I wonder, at times, why these "bad things" have to happen? absolutely.
and while these are questions and worries are human, I know that they are not healthy.
(at least not for long periods of time :) )
and if I would have allowed myself to stay there (in those places of worrying and fear),
I would have missed out on seeing God's goodness and His faithfulness through it all.

it confirms for me that what you see in life is often what you are looking for.
faith allowed me to look beyond the circumstances and see the bigger picture.

thank you to all of you who have called, emailed, texted, visited, and especially prayed.
I truly believe in the power of prayer.
It is mysterious to me.
Doesn't always makes sense.
I'm not the best at it on most days,
But I can not deny the power that lies there.

Please know how thankful we are for all of you.
My dad said yesterday, "I have extended family I didn't even know about."
He was talking about all of you.
Thanks for loving us.

with love,
Erica